Free Tacos for Life, in Exchange for a Tattoo

In 1999, San Francisco Mexican restaurant Casa Sanchez launched an outlandish promotion: get a tattoo of its logo and receive free lunches for life.

The promotion whipped up a swirl of media coverage. Some outlets called the offer an ingenious marketing idea. Others focused on the Mission District restaurant's estimate that it stood to lose $5.8 million if the deal's takers—capped at 50 people—ate there daily for 50 years.